Profiles

Clive John Derby-Lewis (22 January 1936 – 3 November 2016)
was a South African politician, who was involved first in the National Party and then, while serving as a member of parliament, in the Conse...

David Rattray South African historian whose storytelling gifts kept alive the memory of the Zulu wars
The South African historian David Rattray, who has been murdered at his home aged 48, did much to...

Squadron Leader Roger Joyce Bushell RAF (30 August 1910 – 29 March 1944) was an Auxiliary Air Force pilot who organised and led an escape from Stalag Luft III, a German prisoner of war camp. He was a v...

Max Theiler, (1899-1972.) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1951 for vaccine for Yellow Fever. "for his discoveries concerning yellow fever and how to combat it"

Allan McLeod Cormack (1924-1998.) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1951 for x-ray tomography. Born and studied in SA. X-ray work started in Cape Town before emigration to USA. Co-inventor of the CT scanner."for the development of computer assisted tomography"

Aaron Klug (1926-). 1982 Nobel prize in Chemistry for his development of crystallographic electron microscopy and his structural elucidation of biologically important nucleic acid-protein complexes. Born Lithuania, raised and educated in SA, moved to UK in 1950s to pursue research work.

FW de Klerk Peace 1993 "for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa"

Sydney Brenner Physiology or Medicine 2002 for work in RNA biology."for their discoveries concerning genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death'" Born and educated in SA, moved to England to pursue research work.

Sydney Brenner (1927-) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2002 for work in RNA biology.

Allan McLeod Cormack (1924-1998.) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1951 for x-ray tomography. Born and studied in SA. X-ray work started in Cape Town before emigration to USA. Co-inventor of the CT scanner.

William Hofmeyr Craib (1895-1982) Professor of Medicine at Wits; developed the REAL theory behind the Electrocardiogram (for which Einthoven received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1924)

Aaron Klug (1926-). Nobel prize in Chemistry for his development of crystallographic electron microscopy and his structural elucidation of biologically important nucleic acid-protein complexes. Born Lithuania, raised and educated in SA, moved to UK in 1950s to pursue research work.

Avril Irè Malan -Have written and published more than 60 Scientific "verhandelinge." For this he Won the Havenga Award of the S.A Akademie for Science. Chairman of the board of directors of Volkska Bpk Served as director on various other companies. Professor in Biochemie and feeding due to his studies and research at Onderstepoort

Sir Arnold Theiler (1867-1936). Swiss-born father of veterinary science in South Africa. Developed vaccines for smallpox amongst Witwatersrand gold miners, and for rinderpest in cattle.

Max Theiler, (1899-1972.) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1951 for vaccine for Yellow Fever.

Anthropology

Robert Broom (1866-1951). Medical doctor, paleontologist and paleoanthropologist. Studied mammal-like reptiles from the Karoo, then joined the Transvaal Museum and carried out excavations at Sterkfontein and other sites, finding 'Mrs Ples'. Proposer of the 'Australopithicine' family of early hominids.

Eric Mowbray Merrifield (-1982). East London Harbour Engineer, and Aubrey Kuger (dates unknown) - designers of the dolos concrete blocks used to protect harbours and breakwaters from damage by ocean waves.

George Pratley (-1983). Inventor and engineer. Designer of pratley putty glue, that amongst other things was used to hold parts of spacecraft together in 1969 on the Apollo 11 first moon-landing mission.

Bessie Head, born in South Africa but usually seen as a Botswanan writer, (1937–1986)

Elsa Joubert (OIS), born as Elsabé Antoinette Murray on 19 October 1922 in Paarl, is an Afrikaans-speaking South African writer who rose to prominence with her novel ‘Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena’

Douglas Livingstone, born in Malaysia, (1932–1996)

Chris Mann, (1949– )

Zakes Mda, (1948– )

Es'kia (Ezekiel) Mphahlele, (1919–2008 )

Oswald Mtshali, (1940– )

Pauline Smith (1882 - 1959)

Alan Paton, (1903–1988)

Sol T. Plaatje, (1876–1932)

Laurens van der Post, (1906–1996)

Sipho Sepamla, (1932–2007)

Mongane Wally Serote, (1944– )

Wilbur Smith, (1932– )

Miriam Tlali, (1933-2017) The first black South African woman to publish a novel in English

Architects

Sir Herbert Baker (1862-1946) Architect commissioned by Cecil Rhodes to rebuild Groote Schuur hospital; designed the Union Buildings in Pretoria; South Africa House in London, new Bank of England in London. He wrote his reminiscences, 'Cecil Rhodes by His Architect'

Frederick Timpson l'Ons (85), - SA painter of the early life in the Eastern Cape, died in Grahamstown. He was born in Islington, Middlesex, England on 15 November 1802. and, accompanied by his wife, moved to the Cape Colony in 1834. His works portrayed life on the frontier and included portraits of the Khoikhoi and Africans as well as landscapes.

Johann Friedrich Bernhard Rissik 1857 - 1925. Surveyor-General of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, Minister of Native Affairs in the Transvaal Colony and first Administrator of Transvaal after unification. The city of Johannesburg carries his name and those of Christiaan Johannes Joubert and Johannes Meyer

Helen Joseph 1905 - 1992 Appalled by the plight of black women In South Africa, she was pivotal in the formation of the Federation of South African Women and with the organisation's leadership, spearheaded a march of 20,000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against pass laws on August 9, 1956. This day is still celebrated as South Africa's Women's Day

Lilian Masediba Ngoyi 1911-1980 Anti-apartheid activist. She led a march of 20,000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against pass laws on August 9, 1956. This day is still celebrated as South Africa's Women's Day

Gerard Ross Norton. 1915-2004. One of four SA recipients of the VC during WW2. Captured enemy machine guns when his platoon was pinned down in Italy in 1944

Marmaduke Thomas St. John (Pat) Pattle. 1914-1941. WW2 fighter pilot, probably the highest scoring allied fighter pilot of the war, officially credited with 34 enemy aircraft, unofficially credited with over 50 however this is unconfirmed due to the loss of 80 (RAF) squadron's records during the chaotic retreat from Greece, Pattle's own death over Piraeus, and the loss of many other squadron members.

Quentin George Murray Smythe. 1916-1997. One of four SA recipients of the VC during WW2. Awarded for capture of german strong points in the Western Desert. Farmer from Richmond and grandson of penultimate Prime Minister of Natal

Edwin Essery Swales 1915-1945. WW2 VC recipient. Bomber pilot who lost his life when he held his crippled Lancaster aircraft steady, first to complete his role as master pathfinder on a raid, then for the other seven crew members to safely bail out.

General Sir Hesperus Andrias (Pierre) van Ryneveld 1891-1972, WW1 pilot, pioneer of the north-south air route from Britain to South Africa, then set up the South African airforce in 1920, and was Chief of the General Staff of the Union Defence Force, from 1933 to 1949, throughout WW2

Dirkie Uys

Convicted Criminals

Peter Becker (1673-1747) Suspected murderer and convicted barbarian (cruelty). The last time (1717) he was convicted he was banished to Robben Island for life, and he probably died there in 1747.

BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

George Harrison - prospector (dates unknown) who discovered the gold bearing Main Reef on the farm Langlaagte in 1886, which lead to the gold rush on the Witwatersrand and the creation of Johannesburg.

Hans Merensky 1871-1952 German South African geologist, prospector, scientist, conservationist and philanthropist. He discovered the rich deposit of alluvial diamonds at Alexander Bay in Namaqualand, vast platinum and chrome reefs at Lydenburg, Rustenburg and Potgietersrus, which led to some of the largest platinum mines in the world, phosphates and copper at Phalaborwa in the Transvaal lowveld, gold in the Free State and the world’s biggest chrome deposit at Jagdlust near Pietersburg.